User:Ndibari/Tour Bleue

The Blue Tower is the name of the Police station of Charleroi Police Zone. Designed by Jean Nouvel and Mdw Architecture, it is located on the site of the  caserne Defeld, along the Boulevard Mayence and was built in  2014 .. With its 75 metres, it is the second highest building in the city after Centre Albert (82 m) and before the belfry of the town hall (70 m).

History
The foundation stone was laid on September 12, 2012.

The installation of the wooden shell by the company SIBOMAT took nine months.

The tower was officially inaugurated on Friday November 14, 2014, it is intended to house the local police officers, who were then occupying the Charleroi Municipal Police Station.

On 6 August 2016, it was the scene of an Islamic State terrorist attack on two policewomen, one of whom was seriously injured. .

Description
The building has a surface area of 25,000 m2 and reaches a height of 75 metres ., with a budget of approximately 50 million euros.

The group of companies responsible for the construction work is the CFE Belgium group (CFE Brabant, BAGECI, BPC). .

The Blue Tower is a passive building with a wooden outer shell made by the company SIBOMAT, which provides many advantages in terms of insulation and air tightness. The wooden envelope was then covered with blue bricks, justifying the name "Blue Tower" and recalling the colour of the police.

The shape and colour of the blue elliptical tower is reminiscent of the Kalta Minor minaret of Khiva in Uzbekistan. In the evening, a rotating light system is in place on the top floor.

Former use of the site
[[File:Charleroi_-_police_headquarters_and_Charleroi_danses_-_map-fr.svg|left|thumb|Work done on the former caserne Defeld.

Construction of the Blue Tower of the police station and extension of the Charleroi/Danses.|455x455px]]

The new police headquarters was built on the site of the former  caserne Defeld,  while maintaining and renovating the two red-brick wings of the previous infrastructure.

The latter housed the Charleroi Gendarmerie. It is planned to transfer the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Charleroi from the Palais des beaux-arts de Charleroi. The inauguration is hoped for in 2021. .

Prizes
The building won in 2012 at the MIPIM Awards in the category « Projets futurs ».